City: Flip’s Bar-B-Que sign must go

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Although it’s been a staple in town for 50 years, the City of Wilmington says the sign outside Flip’s Bar-B-Que on Oleander Drive must come down.

After a few deadline extensions, the city has given owner Bob Church until Monday to take the 65 square foot sign down.

Hundreds of people have signed a petition to block the move. Still, Church will face a $200 fine for every day it stays up after Monday.

“It’s so sad, because the community is behind it, and they’re saying it should be grandfathered in,” Church said. “It’s a landmark, and so they don’t understand why it has to come down. And the other thing is once you see it out there, there’s trees on the other side of it on the street. It’s not blocking anything.”

The city says the sign impedes five feet into a right of way bought by the city, and it is 15 feet larger than the 50 square feet allowed for business signs.

Church has plans for it to be removed tomorrow afternoon.

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tadchem

Political tags – such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth – are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.
The difference between empire-building megalomaniacs and community petty tyrants lies only in the range of their Ambition.

Teresa Hyatt

Don’t think so sweetie. No the City council is not mostly natives of WILMINGTON!!!!!!!!! Everyone I know from this town and that’s alot of people grew up eating at the REAL Flip’s and no Yankeeville is from Burgaw all the way up to THE TOP.

NCcoast53

The city demanding that this sign be taken down is out right disgusting to me. That sign has been there for as long as I can remember, and I am no spring chicken. I wish that the owner would hire a good lawyer and fight the city to high heaven over this absurdity. I do not understand why this signage have not been grandfathered in. Hell! It was probably there before that section of Oleander was even annexed. This is just wrong on so many levels, in my opinion…

Sal Dominguez

If the lower section of the sign is part of the 65 square feet, then remove that portion. Problem solved.

Justin America

Cut 5 feet off the sign and leave it as a real Wilmington landmark. Conform, comply, you will be assimilated… etc.

Guest765

Clear case of the city picking on an individual business owner. I guess somewhere along the line, he didn’t properly “grease” the hands of someone of power in the city. A virtual “ride” down Oleander in google maps shows many signs larger than this one. “impedes….. right of way bought by the city”? What possible purpose did they have other than to stomp on this guy? There’s a telephone pole and tree between the sign and the road, so they can’t claim it’s a safety issue. I’ve never been to the place, and have no clue who the owner is, so I have no dog in the fight.

This reminds me of the stomping that the city did on the Chinese Buffet on Market St. They had neon trim around the building. Not words, not flashing… just straight lines. The city decided that the whole building was a sign. Selective enforcement. How is what they had any different to the LED trim on the building that the Hibachi Buffet near Lowes has now? Must be that they are keeping the right people happy.

How about the billboard sized signs at two car dealers? Oh? They ARE billboards? They have only had the names of the respective car dealers on them for as long as I can remember.

Teresa – The folks on the Wilmington City council are mostly natives of North Carolina and Wilmington. The South can breed ’em stupid too. Some of them may even be your kin! Maybe your definition of Yankee Ville and “up north” is Burgaw?

Guest2020

Another stupid move by the Wilmington Idiot Council. This sign should be grandfathered in. I bet if it was downtown, he’d be able to keep it.

Erlkoenig

I’d like the “pro-choice” people to weigh in on this.

B M

Guess Saffo and company are more interested in a taxpayer funded ballpark, than trying to help a small business survive.

Great. Just Great.

Hi, I’m from the gubbermint and I here to help yew. Nice job, Wilmington.

Guestarticulatore

Out of control government acting beyond its legitimate authority begins right here, at the local level. A shame indeed. At least we are rid of involuntary annexation and soon to be rid of this experiment of a taxpayer funded bush league stadium…. All we need do now is get rid of the turkeys in city hall.

ob1

This draconian action should remind many how lucky they are for successfully fighting the monkey junction annexation

Teresa Hyatt

I tell you what I grew up with Flips. (The real FLIP) What is wrong with the people who now run this city. I know They need to go back to Yankee Ville. Leave Wilmington along. We like it the way is was, not the way you want it to be. It’s getting so bad here that people are trying to leave because it’s not a friendly town/city anymore. I know change comes but not like this. I’m sick of these people coming in and trying to change things that don’t really matter. Wrong more about the crime not signs. My God stop messing with Wilmington’s History. Go back to where you came from and let Wilmington be the great City it was before you came to it.